Meet Madi Balman | Founder & Creative Director of Mae Creative, Creative Director of Carolina Spark Magazine and North Carolina Bridal Magazine

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madi Balman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madi, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Mae Creative is a marketing and design company with a mission to help people figure out branding and marketing solutions. Nowadays, many companies and start-ups have a hard time figuring out what is going wrong & why they are not growing. These individuals and their hardships are targeted by companies in my industry – they get sold things they don’t necessarily need. Mae Creative puts empathy and morals on the forefront, making sure that our clients get what they need & build on what they have first, not completely drain them of money before figuring out the structural problems.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Being a graphic designer in the digital age is definitely not the easiest. There’s so much competition and so much to be learned – there’s so many of us out there. What sets me apart is my strategy based solutions with an emphasis in problem solving in marketing and branding obstacles. Not only that, but readjusting my mindset that your “competition” is actually your community helps a lot – I know people have strengths where I have weaknesses. I will not sell a service to a client if I am not confident I can get it done correctly/if I don’t have the style someone is looking for. I will always refer out, if I need to.

I have learned that building relationships with competition, fellow business owners, and your clients goes much longer of a way than the “give me the money” mindset. It’s more of a struggle, of course, because the road goes both ways, but it is worth the amazing relationships you can build and ultimately, more referrals you can get.

In the end, I want the world to know that compassion still exists in business. There still is a balance between business and empathy and building quality relationships for the better of yours & your clients’ futures.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It’s hard to pick the best things to do in Charleston, South Carolina. I think some of my favorite things are more low-key. Folly Beach, aka the edge of the US, is a great place to hangout, swim, and even sometimes surf. There are hundreds of awesome networking events and local/seasonal events, including SEWE and Piccolo Spoleto. For food, I would ALWAYS recommend Jackrabbit Filly and Rancho Lewis.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, I was one of the lucky individuals that my family was fully supportive of my aspirations as a designer. Not many aspiring artists can say the same. My parents, husband, and extended family have always supported me throughout my endeavors.

My professors in college helped guide us on our desired path for a graphic design career, and I will always be grateful for them and their continued friendship after college.

My friends, both in business and in my personal life, have been a lifesaver as well. Any time the imposter syndrome kicks in and I need a pep-talk, I know I can turn to so many of these people.

Last but not least, my team: they are absolutely amazing. My team hypes me up and deals with the same stresses that I do. They help get me on the right track and get through stressful projects and problems.

Website: www.maecreative.graphics

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maecreative.graphics/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maecreative.graphics

Other: https://carolinasparkmagazine.com/ https://www.northcarolinabridalmagazine.com/ https://maecreativecraftshop.etsy.com

Image Credits
Photos of Madi: Posie Puffin Photography Photos of Portfolio Pieces: Mae Creative